Ballots still being counted in Calaveras

Conservationist's lead could change in District 2 supes race

SAN ANDREAS - The race for the District 2 seat on the Calaveras County Board of Supervisors may remain in limbo for days or weeks as election workers process uncounted mail ballots turned in at polling places on Election Day.

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By Dana M. Nichols

recordnet.com

By Dana M. Nichols

Posted Nov. 8, 2012 at 12:01 AM
Updated Nov 8, 2012 at 10:24 AM

By Dana M. Nichols

Posted Nov. 8, 2012 at 12:01 AM
Updated Nov 8, 2012 at 10:24 AM

» Social News

SAN ANDREAS - The race for the District 2 seat on the Calaveras County Board of Supervisors may remain in limbo for days or weeks as election workers process uncounted mail ballots turned in at polling places on Election Day.

The race pits conservationist Chris Wright against business owner Bryce Randall. In preliminary results, Wright was leading by 51.6 percent to 48.3 percent.

Election officials said those ballots - a large but undetermined number - still have to be individually processed.

"They said it might be two weeks before we know," Randall said Wednesday afternoon after being reached at West Point Trading Post, a business he owns.

A majority of Calaveras County voters request mail ballots. About 40 percent of the county's voters had returned ballots by Tuesday so that they could be counted along with votes cast at precincts.

Mail ballots handed in on election day at polling places, however, slow the count, because they must be checked to verify the signature on the outside of the envelope.

Wright said that based on previous elections, he believes there could be 400 to 500 uncounted mail ballots in the district. That is theoretically enough, though unlikely, to overturn his 113-vote lead, Wright said.

In other supervisor races, the apparent winners have wide leads that are likely to hold up despite remaining uncounted ballots. In District 1, restaurateur Cliff Edson was unseating incumbent Gary Tofanelli by a tally of 56.6 percent to 43.1 percent in preliminary results; while in District 4, challenger Debbie Ponte was unseating Tom Tryon by 60 percent to 39.6 percent.